On the TechTO stage ×1
First seen on the TechTO stage in 2026. Every talk is searchable — ask the archive about Afshin ↗
In their words
It's literally death by 1,000 cuts, and honestly, probably 700 or 800 of them are financial issues that are taking place in the back office.
building features to build trust isn't the right way. You got to really actually think of trust being built at the core of your product.
Actually, one other interesting thing about what we've done so far is that we've spent zero in digital marketing.
More from TechTO ×1
Quick answers
What is Afshin Mousavian known for?
Co-founding and running Actual (formerly Atlas), a Toronto hospitality-fintech company that moves tips, runs payroll and centralizes operations for restaurants and hotels.
Why did he start Actual?
He opened a Toronto restaurant called Founder in 2019 that did not survive the pandemic, and saw first-hand how much of a restaurant's trouble is financial work in the back office, including tip division, distribution and compliance.
What did he argue at TechTO?
That you should build trust into the core of a product rather than bolt it on as features. He described losing a quarter to rebuilding customer trust after a competitor broke it, and said Actual reached 100+ customers with zero digital marketing spend.